Call it a Summer Soccer Festival

What is it about this time of year for football fans? Everywhere you look, there’s a lot of football going on – and in far-flung locations, too.

Call it a Summer Soccer Festival, and it stars not only the Copa America that’s taking place in Chile, but also the Women’s World Cup, which is being contested at the same time in Canada.

The women are more than up to the task of sharing the spotlight with their male counterparts. The knockout rounds are fast-approaching in locations all over Canada and the top teams are asserting themselves, just as many expected.

Germany and Norway look like the powerhouses in Group B, Japan seems poised to rule Group C, the same for Brazil in Group E. The most competitive may be Group F, where Colombia, England, France and even Mexico are trying to assert themselves and move on.